The atmosphere at Lazio's home ground was far from happy on Saturday afternoon. Lazio were trailing against Torino, a side that had let in ten goals while netting just two in their last five league matches. Ultras from the Curva Nord were finishing their ongoing dissent in an ongoing feud with president Claudio Lotito.
The Campaign Falling Apart?
Had their campaign coming unstitched, or did there exist any cohesion maintaining its structure from the beginning? Lazio reinstated Maurizio Sarri as manager this summer, only for him publicly stated that the management had omitted to inform him about the transfer ban they were about to receive for financial irregularities. Rumours that he might quit were unfounded, but he acknowledged that Lotito had "deceived" him.
Lazio appeared equally disorganized during matches as behind the scenes, defeating Verona 4-0 and Genoa 3-0 but losing the remaining opening fixtures, including the Rome derby. At any given moment, it has been hard to tell if they are improving or imploding.
Cancellieri's Unexpected Comeback
One individual remained positive throughout. Matteo Cancellieri had not been expected to remain with Lazio this season. He was on last season at Parma as a loanee and, early this summer, his parent club were attempting to remain there temporarily. The registration embargo necessitated a reconsideration. Lazio could not afford to thin their squad lacking backup options.
He joined initially during Sarri's previous tenure, then a 20-year-old alumnus of Verona's academy. He accumulated 20 league appearances in Lazio colors in 2022-23, the vast majority of those from the bench. Their former sporting director, Igli Tare, whose tenure ended following that term, subsequently claimed Sarri of "telling everyone Cancellieri was destined for stardom then never playing him."
Uncovering His Best Role
Maybe Sarri was continuing to attempt to work out the specific characteristics of his skill set. Billed as an attacking winger when he joined, Cancellieri instead found himself most of that campaign as a struggling deputy to Ciro Immobile in the striker role. During 63 outings while playing for Empoli and Parma during recent campaigns, his tally was seven goals. Shoehorn
